Dell announced support for the 1GHz chip in its Inspiron 8000 and Latitude C800 notebook computers on Monday. The Inspiron sells at a $2,499 starting price with the 1GHz processor according to Dell's Web site, while the Latitude sells for $2,757.

NEC announced the NEC Versa VXi notebook computer with support for the new 1GHz mobile Pentium III processor. The notebook will ship by mid-May, priced at approximately $2,999 according to the company.

Compaq Computer launched high-end Presario notebook computers for consumers with the 1GHz chip Monday, and promised to deliver by April improved capabilities for its Armada notebooks, which are aimed at businesses. The Presario 1800 has Intel Corp. Pentium III processors of up to 1GHz in customer-configured models for US$2,199.

Gateway announced the Solo 9500 with a 1GHz chip, starting at $2,599 in customer configurations.

A host of other notebook computer makers plan to produce machines using the new chips, including Acer Inc., Fujitsu Ltd., IBM Corp., and Toshiba Corp., according to Intel.

Intel, based in Santa Clara, California, can be reached at +1-408-987-8080 or http://www.intel.com/.

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